


Wide-Open Future

by PhoenixDowner



Series: Aerith Week 2021 [5]
Category: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Aerith Week, Aerith Week 2021, Female Friendship, Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy VII Remake Spoilers, Final Fantasy VII Spoilers, Friendship, Gen, Gen Work, Post-Final Fantasy VII Remake
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:09:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,619
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29366808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixDowner/pseuds/PhoenixDowner
Summary: After breaking free from fate, Aerith has a heart-to-heart with Tifa. Tifa has noticed Aerith knows more than she’s letting on, and she wants to know why.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough & Tifa Lockhart
Series: Aerith Week 2021 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2151864
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	Wide-Open Future

Freedom. Boundless, endless freedom. Aerith felt like a big weight had been lifted off of her chest as Barret helped her climb off of the highway. She wasn’t bound by fate anymore. She might be able to stop Sephiroth without dying this time, and it was all thanks to her friends.

“We should split up,” Barret said once they were safely off the highway. “Makes us less of a target for monsters. Cloud, any ideas?”

“Why don’t you and Red XIII go on ahead? I’ll take Tifa and Aerith with me.”

“Heh, figured you’d say that. Meet you all at Kalm.”

With that their two groups set out. Kalm wasn’t too far away, so they’d be able to get there in a day or two, even if they took a few breaks to rest.

Aerith loved being outdoors. She still hated the sky, but she loved feeling the breeze on her face and seeing more and more plants and flowers as Midgar grew ever distant behind them. She couldn’t help but hum to herself as they went along, an old lullaby of the Ancients Mother had taught her.

“So, you said this is your first time outside of Midgar, right?” Tifa said presently.

“Yup! I’ve lived there my whole life.”

Well, that wasn’t entirely true. Her memories from her past life filled her head, memories of her journey. If she counted those, then no, this wasn’t her first time outside of Midgar. But Tifa and Cloud didn’t know that, and Aerith wasn’t sure how to tell them. The Whispers could no longer mob her and insist she keep everything secret the way they had when she’d tried to tell Zack, but…

“And you?” Aerith remembered to ask before things got too suspicious.

“Well, Cloud and I are from the countryside… Same town, actually. So this feels more like home I suppose.”

“Cloud? You think so?” Aerith prodded. She had to test how bad the Mako poisoning was this time around.

Sure enough, he frowned, like he wasn’t entirely sure. “I guess,” he finally said.

“Hmmmm,” Aerith said, but decided not to push it. His mind was still too fragile.

They continued on, fighting the monsters that came in their path, till at last Aerith heard the ocean waves crashing against the shore, could taste the sea-salt in the air.

“Is that the sea up ahead? Can we stop and take a look, pretty please?” she begged.

Cloud and Tifa exchanged looks, and he grunted his assent while she smiled and nodded. Aerith giggled and ran up ahead. Soon the ground turned to sand and made it a lot harder to run, but she didn’t care. Off her boots came so she could feel the wet sand beneath her toes. She waded into the shallow surf, carefully holding her dress up so it wouldn’t get wet.

Before long, someone else had joined her. Tifa was carefully removing her boots and stockings, and Aerith grinned as she neatly laid them to the side and waded in after her.

“Cloud not coming?”

“He said he has to keep watch,” Tifa said, amusement in her voice as she indicated where Cloud was. He was seated on the little hill above the beach with an aloof, unreadable expression on his face as he stared down at them.

“That Cloud, he really needs to let loose and unwind a little,” Aerith said.

“You’re telling me. But he’s always been so serious, ever since we were kids.”

Aerith didn’t like the frown on Tifa’s face. It was in Tifa’s nature to worry, to care, but Aerith didn’t want her to fret so much. So she clasped Tifa’s hands, hoping to lighten the mood a little. “Then will you solemnly swear that you’ll help me get him to loosen up a little?”

Tifa nodded, her lips twitching. “I solemnly swear.”

“Are you two talking about me?” Cloud called over the breeze.

“Absolutely!” Aerith called, making Tifa giggle. “We’re saying all sorts of things about you.”

The exasperation on his face was too cute.

“You gonna join us and set the record straight?” Tifa called, but he didn’t budge. Her face fell, but she quickly masked her disappointment and turned towards the sea.

“Don’t,” Aerith said, gently touching Tifa’s arm.

Tifa started and looked at her, eyes wide. “Don’t… What?”

“Hide how you feel. It’s okay if you’re disappointed he’s not joining us.”

Tifa looked away again. “I’m fine.”

Aerith bit back a sigh. Tifa was so guarded, so careful showing how she felt, that people who didn’t know her well might not realize how much she cared. Well, Aerith knew her, and she wanted to help her be more comfortable expressing her feelings.

“Lockhart,” Aerith said softly. “It’s a fitting name for you, but I wish you’d feel more comfortable opening up to us.”

Tifa paused and searched her face. “Did I ever tell you my last name?”

Shit. Tifa had caught her again.

“Oh, er, Barret told me. When we were at Shinra headquarters.”

“Mmmhmmm.” Tifa’s eyes narrowed. “Aerith, what aren’t you telling us?”

“Nothing! I like to be cryptic to troll people. It’s especially fun to do to Cloud. Come on, I can show you—”

Tifa caught her hand. “Aerith, I know there’s something you’re not telling us. You know all these things you should have no way of knowing. Marlene’s name, and that I wanted you to go save her before the plate collapsed. My last name. And when we met, you acted like you knew me.”

“You’re amazing! Of course I was drawn to you the moment I met you. I knew we’d be best friends.”

“Then why do I feel like I’ve met you before too?”

Aerith’s heart thudded in her chest. “Huh?”

Did Tifa know? Had she figured it out?

Tifa finally released her hand. “I can’t… I can’t explain it. I don’t know why I feel this way. Nothing about this makes sense. But I see how Cloud gets this faraway look in his eyes when he looks at you sometimes, like he remembers something too. And then, when we were fighting the Whispers, I kept having these… Visions.”

Aerith tilted her head. “Visions?”

“Of… Of the future. I don’t know what else they’d be.”

Aerith searched her eyes. Tifa looked so uncertain, so unsure. What all she had seen, Aerith didn’t know, but she wanted to reassure her friend.

“Tifa, that future is no longer set in stone. We defeated the Whispers. Our future is well and truly free now.”

“You think so?” Tifa asked, looking at her gloves. “I can’t shake the feeling our lives are on repeat, like we’re reliving the same moments over and over again. Like certain things are bound to happen no matter what.”

“They’re not,” Aerith insisted. “Our fates are what we make of them.”

Tifa didn’t seem convinced, so Aerith decided to try a different tactic. She picked up a small pebble and stared at the sea, at the waves crashing on the shore.

“You’re right about me knowing things I shouldn’t. After we won that battle back there, I felt ripples move through the fabric of reality.” She tossed the pebble into the water to demonstrate. “If those waves are fate, then maybe even a pebble like me can disrupt things. And I have several pebbles helping me too. Imagine what we can accomplish together.”

“Pebbles, huh? I wonder what we’ve managed to change.”

Aerith was silent. She’d felt something, felt something stirring deep in her heart, and she was too scared of being disappointed to let that stirring grow into hope. Too hurt to want it to be true.

“Guess we’ll have to wait and see,” she finally replied.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

They stood in the surf a little while longer, enjoying the cool water on their feet and the sand beneath their toes. But at last it was time to go, and as they put their shoes and socks and stockings back on, Aerith spoke up.

“Thank you, Tifa.”

“For what?”

“Joining me here. Opening up to me about your fears.”

“I wish I was more like you,” Tifa admitted. “Bold and fearless and willing to go for what I want.”

“I wish I was more like _you_. Strong and sensitive and caring. I say what I want, it’s true, but sometimes I wish I was better about biting my tongue. I tend to be a little callous and hurt people’s feelings if I’m not careful.”

“You _are_ strong, and you’ve been very kind to me,” Tifa said. “You have a good heart, Aerith. I’m glad I met you.”

Aerith smiled and looped her arm through Tifa’s. “I’m glad I met you too. And for the record, I am _not_ fearless. I’m scared of the sky, for crying out loud.”

“The sky?” Tifa asked as they started walking back to Cloud. “How come?”

“Long story, I’ll tell you when we get to Kalm.”

“Deal. But I bet you have a good reason for it.”

“Oh, I do. And for the record, you being afraid of the ghosts at the Train Graveyard isn’t silly. I’m the weirdo for trying to talk to them.”

“A kind-hearted weirdo then. Those kids needed your comfort.”

“And I needed yours. Thank you for that.”

When they’d returned to Cloud, Aerith felt like another weight had been lifted off her chest. There were things she wished she hadn’t said to Tifa the first time around, and at last she could make up for that. She’d be more sensitive to her friend’s feelings this time. The future was wide open, as wide as the sky above, and she had to make the most of it.

**Author's Note:**

> The Remake teases at Aerith having some sort of knowledge of the future, but I’m curious as to how much she actually knows/remembers, and I wanted to explore that more. Thank you for reading!


End file.
